Electric pocket-lamp



0. HOFFMANN.

ELECTRIC POCKET LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11. 1921.

1,392,16g F692 PatentedSept. 27, 1921.

l v 9 a I k 0 1' A In %'P In var: tor

0. h'offmd nn I Htn spring pressure, this pressure bein utilized for the purpose of pressing t e in-w dividual cells placed in bore-holes in the tPATEN'l oFricE.

I @SCAB EOEFMANN, OI STfiMGART, GERMANY.

anaemic POCKET-LAMP.

Application filed January 11, 1921. Serial No. 186,629.

To all duh/om it concern Be it known that OsoAR HOFFMANN, a

citizen of the German Republic, residing at Stuttgart, Germany, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Pocket-Lamps, for which I have filed application in Germany, Nov. 4, 1919, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric pocket lamps. The object of the inventionis to produce an arran emlexit j for such lam s which enables the attery to be replaced'm the easiest possible manner and at the smallest possible expense while insuring reliable connections between the cells and the conducting parts through short and direct conductors obviating'faultsjn the lamp circuit, and effectually (preventing undesired -clo sures of the sai circuit through unintentional operationsof its switch. i

To accomplish this object the battery is.

made up of cells that can be r'emoyed and replaced individually. -The casing of the pocket lamp, which may be made of wood or any othersuitable material, is provided with a sliding cover held in .posltion 1by a so casing against the conductingpartsarranged in the casing. The springs thatpro-f duce the said pressure" may be such as are not permanent y fixed and can be quickly inserted and replaced, orthey may be permanently fixed in thesaid bore-holes.

' Another feature of the invention consists in a dovetailed slot at they end of the casing opposite to that in which the sliding cover is arranged, this slot being located at one side of a cavity adapted to receive-the glowlamp andhaving a'l-sliding contact member with dovetailed edges fitted into it. A narrow channel isout intothe bottom surface of the sliding member and this channel is i Y adapted to slide over a-conducting wire con-" nectcd with a conducting part in the interior of. the casing. lif springs that are permaneutly fixed in the boreholes are used, the

said wire ma form the u or end of one of these springsand ma he made to hold the spring in position. llhe other permanently Specification of Letters Patent.

'com sed of cels cup to which't e sprin lfatented Sept. 27, 1921.

fixed spring, whichis arranged in the borehole that is in linewith the lamp, may be attached'to a metal disk or cup in which a suitably shaped perforation is made so as to produce a resilient surface against which the middle contact of the glowlamp is pressed when the is closed.

The lamp circuit is closed to light the lamp byv shifting the aforementioned slidingsliding cover of the casing contact member and bringing it into contact withthe screw socket of the glowlamp-Q The novel type of'slidin contact member is a feature of considera 1e ractical importanoe as it' obiriates the like ihood of the lamp being unintentionally switched on by ,pro ectin parts of the switch such as but-.

tons, scre s, .etc. being caught in the a parel of the user of the lainp.'- Hence t e new design insures a good anduniform operation of the lamp.

Some constructional forms of the invention are shown in the drawingin which- Figure 1 isa verticallongitudinal section of an electric divi ually,

'1esto.Fig'. 1, 1

ig. 3 a bottom yiew, and Fig. 4a top view ofthe'same.

Fig. 5 is a top and side view of eml ployed in the pocket lamp.

- i 6 is a vertical lon tudinal section spring of a modified form of poo Tet-lamp accord-' in to the invention,

gles to Fig. 6, and I Fig. 8 a top view of the same. Fig. 9 is a to view of a metallic disk or ketlamp-1; with); battery that can be're noved in- Fig-2 is a longitudinal'section atiright g. 7 a longitudinal section at right an may be attached confines a spring f and thus presses the cells.

against their contacts. The spring 7 is formed of electrical conducting material and, being engaged with the poles of the cells, electrically connects the latter. lVhen the spring f is inserted it is laid upon-the middle wall 6 of the casing and on the lid being pushed home the spring holds it in position so that it cannot open of itself. In its upper part the casing a has a cavity {1 for the lamp and a dovetail slot h into which a sliding contact member 71 with a channeled top surface is fitted. The sliding contact member 71 is formed of conducting material and has a groove 70 cut into its bottom surface which glides over a conducting wiremwhich holds and interconnects a spring 0 placed beneath it and ametallic plate 10 located beneath the top wall of the casing opposite to the spring 0. The center electrode of the cell located in the bore 0 bears against the center electrode of the lamp while the opposite electrode is electrically connected with one electrode of the other cell located in the bore 6 by the spring f. The opposite electrode of the last mentioned cell is electrically connected with the sliding contact member 11 by the plate p, wire m and spring 0. When the sliding member 2' is shifted it is brought into contact with the screw socket of the glowlamp t (as in Fig. 6) and the lamp is thus lighted by its circuit being closed.

In the constructional form illustrated in Figs. 6-10 the spring 7 of Figs. 1-5, which is simply inserted at the bottom -of the casing and not permanently fixed is substituted by springs 1* that are permanently fixed in the boreholes of the casing a. One of these springs 1, as the spring in the right hand hole, may be attached to a brass cup or disk 8 which is attached to the'top end of the hole. This cup has at the middle a slit to (Fig. 9) of such shape that a resilient contact finger is formed which is pressed down by the electrode 11. of. the glowlamp t and thus establishes a connection with the inserted cell 0 brass cup 8 is completely omitted and a brass spring 1" is provided instead which has one end extended through the casing as at r that is bent down at the top and holds a flat spring similar to 0, Fig. 2, upon which the sliding contact member 2' lides that is fitted in the dovetail slot. In the case of the constructional form of casing and. of the arrangement of springs shown in the drawing it is immaterial whether the right or left cell has its head turned upward. The connection between the two cells is es- {aCplCiZShed by a metal strip q arranged in the As the novel pocket lamp has no projecting part an unintentional opening of the lid or switching on of the lamp cannot occur.

In the left borehole the- Hence much current is saved and along and uniform operation of the lamp is secured. The sliding lid cl enables the individual cells to be quickly and properly replaced, and the sliding contact member i forms a reliable circuit controller.

Many changes of the various parts can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In an electric pocket lamp, a casing, cell compartments, contacts adapted to engage with the terminals of electric cells located in said compartments, sliding lid for closing the said compartments, a spring permanently fixed at the end of each said compartment, a lamp engaging spring contact member electrically connected with one of the springs, a sliding circuit closer electrically connected with the other of the said springs, the said springs being arranged to exert pressure upon cells located in the compartments whereby the latter are actuated to hold the said lid in closed'position, and an electrically connected member in the lid for interconnecting the said cells, said lid and circuit closer being arranged substantially flush with the outer surface of the casing.

2. In an electric pocket lamp, a casing, a cell compartment, a lamp circuit, including a wire anchored in said casing and adapted for electrical connection with a cell, a lamp socket, a sliding circuit closer adapted to glide upon the said, wire, the circuit closer being fitted into the casing and adapted to engage the lamp socket and close the lamp circuit.

3. In an electric lamp, a casing, a cell compartment, contacts, a projectionless sliding lid for closing said compartment, one of the contacts being arranged to press against the cell terminal to maintain the lid in position, a sliding circuit closer for closing the lamp circuit, saidcircuit closer being arranged substantially flush with the outer surface of the casing whereby liability of accidental displacement of the circuit closer is minimized.

4. In an electric pocket lamp, a casing, a cell compartment, a plurality of contacts, a slidin lid for closing said compartment, one of said contacts being resilient and acting upon the lid to normally retain the latter in closed position and to press the cell against the other contact, and a sliding cir- (-uit closer for closing the lamp circuit, said lid and circuit closer being arranged substantially flush with the outer surface of the casing whereby accidental actuation of the circuit closer and displacement of the lid is minimized.

- 5. In an electric pocket lamp, acasing, cell compartments, a sliding lid for closing said compartments, a spring permanently secured in the end of each compartmentyone on the lid for electrically connecting the of the springs being provided with an 021- cells. 10 tended portion, a circuit closer engaged with In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. the extended portion of the spring and OSCAR HOFFMANN adapted to close the lamp circuit, said springs being arranged to normally retain Witnesses:

the lid in position against accidental dis- F RIEDA KLAIBER, placement, and an inter-connecting member E. SCHLEICHER. 

